ABSTRACT
Rice is one of the most important staple crops for Indian society. India has the world’s largest area of rice cultivation (44 million ha) and it is the second largest rice producing country in the world after China (Thiyagarajan and Gujja, 2013). The country will need to produce at least 130 million tons of milled rice per year by 2030 in order to feed its growing population (Gujja and Thiyagarajan, 2009). However, there is not much scope to expand the current area under rice cultivation to increase rice production due to rapid urbanization on one hand, and water constraints and shortage of suitable soils on the other hand. Enhancing the productivity per unit area is another possible way to increase rice production under the existing cultivated areas. However, the challenge is not only increasing food production, but also adapting to the changing climatic conditions that impose water scarcity and mitigating Green House Gases (GHG) emissions from the rice fields.
